root canal treatment - NHS and private costs & pros and cons

jugglebug

Even before the current system the NHS used to have a 12 month "free replacement" policy on items such as crows and fillings.
Veneers were exempted from that even back then.
Oh and I dont mean veneers were not done on the NHS, they were (and still are in some cases) It is just that they were not replaced free within the timeframe everything else was.
I think you would have a very hard time getting any dentist to reduce their fees after 22 months, although I have heard of some who promise 5 years, it usually means strict stipulations such as night time bite guard wear or some form of insurance policy.

jugglebug

craigyboy87 wrote: »

I feel no pain now so it seems to have worked for which is a relief after 5 days of constant pain, so I can't complain too much. I only hope the root canal works and what she has done does not cause it to fail.

I knew she was rushing to do it as well because it was only an emergency appointment. When I go back tomorrow I haven't even got my own slot, I am double booked with someone else because she had no space for me but I had to see her.

The government seriously need to sort out the NHS so that dentists can give to care that is needed. I hope I can afford private dentistry in the future.

We all agree with that but I wouldn't hold your breath. British dentistry is seen as a laughing stack across much of the western world because of the NHS service and its limitations (not because of the dentists, but of course those overseas don't admit to that)
The current system is worse than the last and not many people thought that was possible! The future looks potentially worse. I was very close to buying my own practice and to be honest I am glad I haven't. It will probably close within the next 2 months Maximum.
Dentistry isn't the magic money tree folks believe it to be.

Toothsmith

It's also more tricky if he's now at a different practice.

The 'contract' would have been with the previous practice, not that individual dentist. It might be worth ringing that place up to see if they'd do anything, but that would involve seeing a totally new dentist, which, if you're otherwise happy with this guy, might not be the best thing.

I think the bottom line here is that this is 'just one of those things' that can happen.

roddydogs

Its Bad you cant find an NHS dentist, theirs never been a problem round here (Epsom, Surrey) in fact dentists often advertise in the Local for new NHS patients.

Toothsmith

roddydogs wrote: »

Its Bad you cant find an NHS dentist, theirs never been a problem round here (Epsom, Surrey) in fact dentists often advertise in the Local for new NHS patients.

That's because the contracts they have need them to see sooooooo many patients to get the funding!

Personally, I find much more job satisfaction from seeing a reasonable number of people and spending time doing a proper job to the standard I would like done in my mouth.

daisywright

You should go and consult a dentist first.
A dentist will give you expert opinion about this.

Bronnie

daisywright wrote: »

You should go and consult a dentist first.
A dentist will give you expert opinion about this.

LOL
You just want us to check out your user profile, don't you!!!!
:rotfl:

welshdent

just my two penneth worth on root fillings .... It sounds almost like they are trying to talk you out of the root filling to me. Its the negative language I used to hear on the emergency clinic where they treated people who could not get to GDPs .... we can take the tooth out now for you and it is over with in about 10 minutes or you can have a root filling that is quite uncomfortable, takes AGES ... and you still may end up losing your tooth.
(amongst other important items) a microscope.

I strongly challenge the idea that the tooth would only last 5 - 10 years. YES they wont last forever and yes they are not 100% successful. We do not have benefit of seeing you and your tooth. There are numerous variables to consider. Is the tooth dead and has an abscess, is the neve "on the way out", has decay and hence bacteria penetrated the nerve space, do you have cracks in the tooth? BUT in even in less than ideal circumstances I have seen root filled teeth last decades, some of which astound me given how badly they were done the first time. The treatment will weaken the tooth and make it around 6 times more likely to break compared to non root filled teeth. As a result Most back teeth will need crowns or restorations called onlays to stregthen and protect them but I think on the whole they should last longer than 5 - 10 years. If you arent happy then I would ask around. What is vital IMO for this procedure is ... when it is being done make sure the dentist is using a device called a rubber dam to isolate the tooth. They ideally would also be using sodium hypochlorite to disinfect the tooth. The idea of the process is to remove bacteria and dead tissue from inside the tooth so as to eliminate causes of infection. If the rubber dam isnt used then firstly everytime you move your tongue etc the tooth will fill up with your own saliva which is teeming with bugs and so reinfecting the tooth. also without the dam you can not use the hypochlorite which not only kills bugs but also dissolves the remnants of the nerve. So make sure thats used!

Jokaty82

Sorry to hijack, but just wanted to ask a question.

I had a root canal on one of my back teeth about a year ago, almost straight away the tooth started turning grey. When I called to check this they said it was normal as the tooth was dead, sometimes it took years to go black, but in my case its happened very quick. The tooth itself is now a dark grey. I paid almost £400 for that work to be done, that did include sedation as I am a nervous patient. But is it normal for the tooth to go black?

Just seems odd to spend all that money, all for the tooth to be black. Thank god its at the back, but I hate it - it looks ugly and like its rotten!

tirednewdad

A rootfilled tooth can darken and this is quite normal -after a root cannal treatment.

If you dislike the appearance then you can have a crown which will improve the look and something which is usually recommended to put on a rootfilled tooth anyway.